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Charlie Worksheets Facts

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer, who became significantly popular during the era of silent , an era of cinema that persisted from the mid 1890's until the 1920's, where movies have no sound, synchronized audio recording, nor audible dialogs. It was the era where were watched while accompanied by a pianist. In this era, Charlie Chaplin became most popular for his character, . Charlie Chaplin's career spanned more than 75 years, since his childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977. His life has sparked both admiration and controversy.

KIDSKONNECT.COM Charlie Chaplin Facts

EARLY LIFE

★ Charlie Chaplin's rise to fame is a rags-to-riches story. ★ Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889, in London, England. ★ Not long after his birth, Chaplin's father became an alcoholic and abandoned him with his mother and older half-brother, Sydney. ★ Chaplin's mother, Hannah, went by the stage name of Lily Harley, as she was a music hall singer and vaudevillian. ★ She was able to support her family for a few years. Seven-year-old Charlie at the ★ On one performance, Hannah center of the photo taken at the lost her voice for unknown Central London District School reasons; to continue the show, for paupers in 1897 young Charlie came to the stage to replace her. ★ The audience loved his ★ Chaplin, only five at the time, performance. continued his mother's ★ Unfortunately, his mother's performance. voice never returned. ★ Chaplin knew comedy at the ★ Sadly, she also suffered from time, as he imitated his mother's mental illness and was later cracking voice. confined to an asylum.

KIDSKONNECT.COM Charlie Chaplin Facts

EARLY CAREER

★ Chaplin used his mothers contacts to enter showbiz in 1897. ★ He landed in a clog-dancing troupe named the Eight Lancashire Lads. ★ Chaplin worked many jobs, such as being a news vendor, printer, and toymaker, but he never lost his dream to be an actor. ★ Chaplin made his first acting role as a pageboy in a production of Sherlock Holmes (1903-1906). ★ In 1908, he toured with a vaudeville Young Charlie in group named Casey's Court Circus. Sherlock Holmes ★ He teamed up with the Fred Karno Pantomime Troupe and became a star as a drunk man in a comedic sketch. ★ Chaplin got to the United States with the Pantomime Troupe, and there he caught the eye of , who signed him to a contract for 150 dollars a week.

Ad for Karno’s 1913 American Tour

KIDSKONNECT.COM Charlie Chaplin Facts

FILM CAREER

★ Chaplin debuted in a film called Make a Living in 1914. ★ In order to be a unique actor, Chaplin decided to stick to a character in his next film. ★ His identifiable character is known as "The ," who first appeared in in 1914. ★ Chaplin left Sennett in 1915 to join the Essanay Company, Chaplin and which contracted to pay him in (1914) $1,250 dollars a week. ★ With the Essanay Company, Charlie hired Sydney, his older half-brother, to be his business manager. ★ Chaplin then rose to stardom. ★ Chaplin made 14 films in his first year in the company. ★ His first classic film was The Tramp (1915). ★ The Tramp is about how his character became an The Tramp debuts in Kid Auto unexpected hero, saving a Races at Venice (1914) farmer's daughter from a gang of robbers.

KIDSKONNECT.COM Charlie Chaplin Facts

★ By the age of 26, Chaplin moved to Mutual Company, which paid him $670,000 a year. ★ While with Mutual Company, he made some of his best work, such as One A.M. (1916), The Rink (1916), and Easy Street (1917). ★ As a filmmaker, Chaplin was known to be a perfectionist. ★ However, the good results were hard to deny as he made his greatest films, such as The Kid (1921), The Pilgrim (1923), A Woman in Paris (1923), and (1925). ★ These films were produced by a company he co-founded named .

PERSONAL LIFE

★ Chaplin had numerous affairs with women who had roles in his films. ★ Chaplin married in 1918, who was 16 years old. ★ Chaplin wed again in 1925 with another 16-year-old actress, , whom he'd cast in The Gold Rush. They divorced in 1927. ★ He wed again in 1936 to , and their marriage lasted until 1942. ★ In 1943, Chaplin married Oona O'Neill, Lita Grey who was the daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill. ★ Their marriage was happy and resulted in eight children.

KIDSKONNECT.COM Charlie Chaplin Facts

FINAL YEARS

★ Chaplin made his last visit to the United States in 1972 to receive an Honorary Academy Award. ★ In 1975, Chaplin was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. ★ Charlie Chaplin died at his home in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland on December 25, 1977. ★ Two men stole Chaplin’s body from the grave for a ransom of $400,000. ★ Eleven weeks later, Chaplin’s body was recovered and the robbers were arrested.

Charlie Chaplin Studios where Chaplin's films were produced between 1918 and 1952

KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Rags to Riches

Why is Charlie Chaplin’s life story called a rags-to-riches story? Summarize his life using the following categories.

EARLY LIFE ______

EARLY CAREER ______

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ______

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Career Checklist Put a checkmark next to the jobs taken by Charlie Chaplin in his lifetime. Put an X next to the jobs that were not.

Filmmaker

News Vendor

Actor

Chef

Toymaker

Printer

Waiter

Contractor

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Charlie, the Actor Arrange the following events in Charlie Chaplin’s acting career in order from the first to last. Write the corresponding letters on the blanks.

A. Charlie acted as a pageboy in Sherlock Holmes. B. Charlie joined the Fred Karno Pantomime Troupe and starred in a comedic sketch. C. Charlie acted as The Tramp. D. Charlie moved to Mutual Company and made some of his best work. E. Charlie starred in a film entitled The Rink. F. Charlie debuted in a film called Make a Living.

G. Charlie joined the Essanay Company and earned $1,250 a week.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Charlie, the Filmmaker

Decode the titles of Charlie Chaplin’s films using the given letters and dates of release as clues.

T E C R U (1928)

K N N E O R (1957) L M L H (1952)

N S U R (1947)

V E R

H E

R E

D C A O

(1940)

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Poster Match Match the letter of the poster of Charlie Chaplin’s movie to its correct synopsis. Write the corresponding letter on the space provided.

A B C D

A little tramp discovers an orphan and raises him as his own until the orphanage reclaims the orphan.

A little tramp searches for gold and ends up falling in love.

A little tramp rescues a stray dog and together they try to survive the city.

A little tramp gets employed at a factory where the machinery overwhelms him, and where he experiences mishap upon mishap.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Silent Film Era Charlie Chaplin was the star of the era. Learn more about the silent film era by answering the following questions.

What is silent film?

When was the silent film era?

Who were the famous actors during the silent film era?

What were the famous films made during the silent film era?

What caused the end of the silent film era?

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Multiple Marriages Charlie Chaplin is known to have married multiple times. Who were the ex-wives and last wife of Charlie Chaplin? Can you write their names on the blank as well as a brief summary of their relationships with Chaplin?

NAME: ______NAME: ______RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY: RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY: ______

NAME: ______NAME: ______RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY: RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY: ______

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Chaplin’s Colleagues The following people have worked with Charlie Chaplin closely at one point in his career. Can you write a short profile detailing the background and work of each one? MARY DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS ______PICKFORD ______

HARRY HENRY BERGMAN LAUDER ______

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______Film Review Watch a trailer, a clip, or a full video of any silent film starring Charlie Chaplin, then write what you think of Chaplin’s film in the space below.

______

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM Name: ______My Funny Film

Following Charlie Chaplin’s works, produce your own short comedic film. Supply the information being asked for on this page.

TITLE: PLOT: ______CHARACTERS: ______● ______● ______CONFLICT: ______RESOLUTION: ______

CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS KIDSKONNECT.COM